Islam and peace-4

What else can ensure peace more than the religion in which even destroying date trees of the enemy is prohibited?  Which other law can ensure peace more than the one in which hacking fruit-bearing trees is not allowed.

 

Islam ensures peace not only for human beings but for plant, animal life and every grain of sand of this world.

 

Stopping those people who set about destroying the peace of the society, who light up the flames of pillage and massacre, steal and murder and raise the banner of rebellion is surely necessary.  To maintain the fabric of peace in the society, staying the hands of these people is surely necessary.  Defensive measures against these people to stop them and punishing them is not breaking of peace but it is to maintain peace.  This is not revenge but justice.  This is necessary to maintain peace for the whole society.  Islam does not allow people to develop their own laws to combat and punish them, instead it specifies rules for the enemies also.  It prohibits excessiveness in dealing with them.

 

Allah Ta’ala says: 

 

The following are the rules to be followed while dealing with them:

 

Attacking without proper declaration and warning is to be avoided.  Nobody should be bound/tied and killed.  Nobody should be burnt as a punishment, as there is a Hadith in Sunan Abu Dawood:

 

Translation:  Nobody has the right to punish with fire except the Lord of the fire.

 

The universality of Islam’s message of peace

 

In an Islamic country, rights have not been granted on the basis of nationality, community or such, but everybody has been granted equal rights on humanitarian basis without any discrimination on the basis of religion, sect and parentage.

 

In an Islamic country, all non-Muslims are given the same rights as Muslims.  There is no scope for discrimination and partiality of any kind.

 

They have the rights of religious freedom, economic freedom, social freedom etc.  To ensure their safety, to maintain an atmosphere of peace for them is the responsibility of Muslims.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:

 

Translation: The rights of the non-Muslims are My responsibility.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has warned the Muslim who kills a non-Muslim with whom there was an agreement of peace in this Hadith of Sahih Bukhari:

 

Translation:  Hadhrat Abdullah bin ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) narrates from the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) that He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  Whoever kills a non-Muslim with whom there was an agreement of peace will not smell the fragrance of Jannah, even though its fragrance can be smelled from a distance worth 40 years.

 

There is Hadith in Sunan Abu Dawood:

 

Translation:  Beware! The person who oppresses a non-Muslim, with whom there was an agreement of peace, or snatched his/her right or taxed him/her beyond capacity or took something without the non-Muslim’s express wish, then on the Day of Judgment, I will present a case against that oppressor.